Sorry, no rooms with a view

Sahay, Tara Shankar
India Abroad
07-13-2001
Sorry, no rooms with a view

The Mughal Sheraton has a problem hoteliers would kill to have - namely
more demand than rooms.

"We estimate that 130 of our rooms will be taken up by the media, both
Indian and foreign," says Y K Berry, the hotel's assistant manager (sales).

"And we are still responding to faxes and mails from foreign tourists who
want to know if it is okay to come here during that time."

'That time' is July 15-16, which marks the Agra summit.

"Actually," Berry says, only half in jest, "the Taj is not the only
attraction for those tourists - a lot of them are hoping they can go back
and tell their grandchildren they were present when history was being made
in the shadows of the Taj."

The Diwan e Khas, the hotel's convention center, is being fine-tuned to
play its designated venue, as the briefing center for the media after the
summit.

"We are making sure all our bases are covered," says Berry. "Power back-up
is being kept ready in case there is a problem with electricity. 300
telephones and Internet connections are being laid on, for use by the
estimated 500-strong media contingent.

"We have even applied for permission to run the bar 24 hours during the
summit, because you never know when someone will want a beer."

Within the hotel and elsewhere in Agra, operation facelift has gained added
impetus as the summit nears.

Within the hotel, workers in paint-smudged overalls and laden with mammoth
brushes and buckets of color occasionally intrude into the genteel lobby,
only to be shooed out of sight by managerial staff.

Elsewhere in the city, road-rollers have become more ubiquitous than cars,
and the smell of fresh-poured pitch hangs like an overcoat over the city.

"All this just for the visiting Pakistani," fumes 50-year-old Home Guard
Manohar, even as he tries to bring order, with gesture and abusive
language, to yet another traffic snarl-up.

Traffic is not the only thing that is snarled up - regular work has pretty
much gone for a toss, with the bureaucracy, police and just about everyone
else busy with arrangements for the visit.

Manbir Singh, chief of protocol at the external affairs ministry, and his
Pakistani counterpart, are visiting the hotels to check out the
arrangements.

Elsewhere, officials attached to the Prime Minister's Office, and members
of the Special Protection Group, repeatedly check and recheck to make sure
there are no organizational or security hiccups.

This puts a toll on the local administrative machinery.

"I am too busy supervising the arrangements," says District Magistrate
Kumar Kamlesh. "You can meet me later, now I don't have time."

Article copyright India Abroad Publications, Inc.

Article copyright India Abroad Publications, Inc.
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